Materials Handling
Diacon advancing safety in 2022 DIACON AUSTRALIA IS REVOLUTIONISING THE CONVEYOR GUARD INDUSTRY, WITH ITS PLASTIC MESH CONVEYOR GUARDING PROVIDING A SAFER ALTERNATIVE TO STEEL GUARDING THAT WILL OUTLAST AND OUTPERFORM.
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iacon Australia has its priorities in check, with its main goal to eliminate conveyor belt injuries on mine sites. Where there are conveyor belts, there must be safety guarding for those belts, and traditionally the industry has opted for steel guarding fabricated on-site out of steel mesh. Diacon established its plastic guarding as an alternative to steel, originating from the sugar industry in Diacon’s hometown of Mackay in Queensland. “The big thing about our Diacon guarding - it’s lightweight, it’s durable, it’s corrosion-free and it’s safe. It stops people from being able to access a belt and either be pulled into or be hurt by that belt,” Diacon Australia general manager Matt Kennett says. “Sugar is an extremely corrosive substance, so we wanted to come up with a system that could outlast the steel guarding, which we have.” The plastic guarding has moved far beyond its original use in Mackay’s sugar industry, with Diacon servicing mine sites across every state in Australia, in Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Indonesia and the United Kingdom. With safety at the forefront of Diacon Australia’s ethos, its plastic guarding hits the mark, with its lightweight design suitable for a one-man job and a system customised to fit the exact belt it is being used on.
Diacon conveyor guards are designed and manufactured in Australia.
“That’s probably one of the biggest things Diacon has got too, we’re pretty much a one-stop shop from design, to manufacture, to install,” Kennett tells Safe to Work. “When we’re asked by a mine, we go and have a look at their conveyor systems, we scan their belts with 3D scanning, and then we design our system around their belt. “Then we will manufacture the guarding, and we will go out with a team to do the site install.” Steel guarding created on-site out of steel mesh is heavy and bulky, which creates several safety issues. It takes two to three people to take it down when you need to do maintenance on the conveyor, whereas with Diacon, one person can lift the guarding by themselves. “All our guarding hangs on handrails, it’s all safely hung, so there’s no issue of anything being able to fall over or taking
SAFETOWORK.COM.AU 40 JAN-FEB 2022
up area on the walkways, and it’s also a lot lighter,” Kennett says. “A standard steel mesh guard could be 30+ kilograms, whereas one of our biggest guards might be a maximum of 16 kilograms.” Diacon Australia is positive for the year ahead, with an even stronger push for safety and innovation on the cards for 2022. The company is well and truly spreading globally, with further plans to grow across the world. However, Diacon stresses the importance of supporting Australian businesses in the wake of the pandemic as life returns to somewhat normal. “I think it’s extremely important to support local, we are proudly Australian owned and operated,” Kennett says. “You’ve got to look after your own backyard and that’s what we want to do.” Not only will 2022 see a growth with Diacon’s existing products; the Diacon
